The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for separating materials for reclamation, disposal and other purposes.
There are a wide variety of industrial applications where mixed materials are generated. For example, demolition debris may include a mix of wood, concrete and various metals. In another example, a variety of industrial manufacturing processes yield waste that includes mixed materials. Further, mixed materials may be result from mining, land clearing or other extraction methods. In many applications, mixed materials simply accumulate as useless waste, and may ultimately need to be moved to a landfill or other waste storage site at significant cost.
Many of these mixed materials include at least one material that, if separated efficiently, would be suitable for reuse, recycling or other reclamation. In some applications all of the mixed materials may be subject to reuse, recycling or other reclamation once sorted, and therefore would not leave significant waste once sorted. Although separation is desirable, the apparatus and methods currently available for separating materials can be labor intensive and costly. In an effort to provide an alternative to manual sorting, an apparatus for sorting demolition debris is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,518, which issued on Mar. 21, 1989 to one of the inventors of the present invention. Although a marked improvement over preexisting apparatus and methods for sorting demolition debris, the apparatus of the '518 patent is not ideal for all potential sorting applications. For example, the apparatus is relatively large and not easily moved from location-to-location. Further, the apparatus is primarily intended for use in sorting demolition debris and is therefore tailored specifically for that application. The apparatus is not designed with the adjustability to permit a single machine to be readily tuned for use in other applications. Also, fines and other solids accumulate in the tank, thereby requiring periodic cleaning of the tank. Despite the benefits of the apparatus of the '518 patent, various industries could benefit from a highly effective separator with increased efficiency and improved performance. Further, an apparatus that is more easily adapted for use in different applications would be beneficial.